Time Out says

5 out of 5 stars

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4 out of 5 stars

Time Out says

5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to its industrial architecture, this powerhouse of modern art is awe-inspiring even before you enter. Built after World War II as Bankside Power Station, it was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, architect of Battersea Power Station. The power station shut in 1981; nearly 20 years later, it opened as an art museum, and has enjoyed spectacular popularity ever since. The gallery attracts five million visitors a year to a building intended for half that number; the first fruits of work on the immensely ambitious, £215m TM2 extension opened in 2012: the Tanks, so-called because they occupy vast, subterranean former oil tanks, will stage performance and film art. As for the rest of the extension, a huge new origami structure, designed by Herzog & de Meuron (who were behind the original conversion), will gradually unfold above the Tanks until perhaps 2016, but the work won’t interrupt normal service in the main galleries.

In the main galleries themselves, the original cavernous turbine hall is still used to jaw-dropping effect as the home of large-scale, temporary installations. Beyond, the permanent collection draws from the Tate’s collections of modern art (international works from 1900) and features heavy hitters such as Matisse, Rothko and Beuys – a genuinely world-class collection, expertly curated. There are vertiginous views down inside the building from outside the galleries, which group artworks according to movement (Surrealism, Minimalism, Post-war abstraction) rather than by theme.

Robert Rauschenberg

If there are no original ideas left in art, it’s probably because Robert Rauschenberg had them all. Over the course of his 60-year career (he died in 2008 aged 82), he reinvented, reused, recycled and revolutionised himself so many times that walking...

The EY Exhibition: Wifredo Lam

The first work in this show is a beautifully fine graphite self-portrait by Cuban modernist Wifredo Lam. Take a good long look at his features, because they matter. Lam was born to a Chinese father, and a mother descended from Spanish conquistadors and...

Tate Tap Takeover

On the last Thursday of each month, the taps at the Tate Modern are taken over by a British craft brewery. Tickets start from £10 for five thirds (190ml) of beer and founders and directors will be around to talk brewing processes, branding and all things...

Wolfgang Tillmans

At first glance, Wolfgang Tillmans's photographs look almost throwaway. His subjects are so varied – friends, foliage, oceans, genitals – that you'd be forgiven for thinking he doesn't give them any thought. But take a step back, and you realise you're...

I was never much of a fan of the Tate on GCSE art trips down to London, finding that nothing really appealed to my tastes or even satisfied my basic understandings. But as I've grown up and studied art to a higher level, I don't mind the odd trip to browse around anymore, especially since the opening of the new building, which if nothing else offers panoramic views of London, a fabulous bar/cafe and a whole host of more interactive and lively exhibitions. Still not my favourite place, but it's not as bad as I remember. Just watch to avoid really busy peak times!

Looking fabulous Tate, this amazing pubic space has undergone a massive extension in the form of the switch house, and is currently the most visited modern art museum in the entire world, lucky us.
As a Londoner and avid art fan, I would highly recommend becoming a member of the Tate, your membership covers the Tate Modern as well as the Tate Britain. Your annual membership gives you free and unlimited access to all exhibitions in both galleries which is phenomenal value.
However the best part for me is the private members rooms in both galleries. At the Tate modern the members room is on the 5th floor of the Boiler house, with two private terraces one of the River towards St Paul's and one on the switch house extension side with views of the Shard. The members room has it's own restaurant serving fantastic lunches, wine, afternoon tea and coffee. You can pay the membership in 3 instalments by direct debit and you receive 3 months free. Win win - support the Tate.

aw man... what has happened to the tate gallery? what once was the pride and joy of our city is now a building filled with pieces of absolute rubbish they're calling art. I love contemporary art so I'm open to abstract pieces but what they have there is not by any means art.. They have a few Picasso's and other classics but not enough in my opinion .. such a shame!

My favourite place in London! Tate Modern is all about contemporary art - any kind of art; paintings, photos,
videos, sculptures, immersive stuff. Here you will find one of the bigest collections of contemporary art from popular as well as new artists from all over the world.

After June's new opening of the Switch House, the collections are now split between the old and the new building. The buidings by themselves are quite impressive having the brutalist architecture trend. Stunning views of St Paul Cathedral and Thames if you choose to sit for a coffee or food at the 6th floor of the old building (cheap prices here!) or stunning 360 views of London if you choose the 10th floor of the new building (no shop here - just balcony). If you choose the 10th floor, be aware; there are lifts going straight to the top, don't take the wrong lift going just to the middle of the building.

A whole day is not enough to explore the place. Despite being quite open spaces and not over-stuffed with art objects all over the place, still there are a lot to explore either in the permanent or the temporary collections or even the really well equiped with modern art's books & items 2 x ground floor shops.

Tate Modern is one of my favourite places in London. I've been there a lot of times, I know some of its exhibitions by heart, but I never get bored.

I'm very interested in modern & contemporary art, even the very controversial works, and the Tate Modern has so many things to see that I'm never disappointed. You will find very famous artists, and also less known ones. The gallery features any kind of artwork - paintings, photos, videos, interactive sculptures. I think even if you're not into art, you can still have some fun time there!

I've recently visited the new part and the building is very interesting, another big plus is that from there you can enjoy a wonderful view of London :)

I visited the Switch House at the Tate Modern - I was a little disappointed. The building is beautiful and the view from the top was pretty spectacular. But the art work did not live up to what I have come to know and love about Tate. The art work was randomly positioned and no well known artists like what I have come to love about Tate.

Im hoping that the exhibitions will evolve and hopefully we will see some updated work soon

The new wing of the Tate Modern, the Switch House, feels like a bold and iconic addition to the London riverside and it feels very in-tune with the Tate Modern's popularity as a public space in itself. Two weeks after opening, it already feels like a tourist destination and undoubtedly this is due to the impressive 360 degree view of London that you get from the 10th floor terrace of the Switch House. Access to the terrace is free but it certainly isn't easy. The Switch House has a bank of eight elevators but only four of these go to the 10th floor. It's nigh on impossible to get onto one of the 10th floor elevators at any floor past 0 - make sure you head to the basement to hitch a ride to the top.

Going to Tate Modern on a saturday has always seemed to me a terrible idea however I've decided to adventure myself and get over the fear. I was more interested in knowing and seeing the buzz about the new Tate Modern extension: the Switch House. The Switch House is both the perfect extension and the perfect compliment to the original building the Boiler House. The war and industrial feeling in the Switch House is overpowering and this does not change as you go up the building (no wonder the ground floor has been named the Tanks). The rawness of the live performances and the exhibitions in the building not only match this overpowering sense but also give a certain sensuality to the Switch House experience. These are particularly felt in the Tanks, where instruments just lay on the floor and where a group of five people move randomly across the room and in Louise Bourgeois’s exhibition where sex, death, love and vulnerability are the main themes in a very intimist journey. I attempt to say let's forget the Boiler House for a while and explore the infinity possibilities in the Switch House.

This past weekend saw the opening of the Tate Modern extension by Herzog & De Meuron (Architects). The opening brought visitors by the crowds, having said that though, there was ample space for visitors to circle the installations.

The aptly named exhibition 'Between Object & Architecture', a free display spread across 3 floors, housed some interesting and interactive installations - definitely worth a visit. The building itself is a maze of considered transitional spaces and exhibition spaces that provide a neutral backdrop to the art installations.

Make sure to visit the viewing level on the 10th floor that boasts a 360 view of London.

Tate
Modern has always been one of my favourite art destinations in London, so I’d
been really looking forward to the new opening of the Switch House. The 10-floor
building, designed by the architect Herzog & de Meuron, is truly impressive. The raw concrete bunker-like level 0 (called the ‘Tanks’) gives a false impression of a hard to
navigate maze, but once you transition to the next level, it’s all clear, bright
and organised.

You will find the familiar
themed rooms with some of the artworks you might have seen before in the old
building. The highlights for me are the Louise Bourgeois room, Rebecca Horn’s
sexy bondage pieces and of course Kusama’s 'Passing Winter' - a glass cube with holes, fitted with infinity mirrors – which I reckon will be the most
instagrammable piece in this collection. The 360 degree view over London from the balcony on level 10 is
stunning, as expected, but here the positives end.

Despite the size of the extension,
the number of artworks on display is very disappointing. When you get to level
4, you learn the remaining 6 levels are occupied by cafes, restaurants, event
spaces, etc. It feels like there are more places for consumption than the actual
exhibition rooms. And don’t try to use the lifts, they are absolutely useless.
We tried to get to level 10 from level 4, but despite trying with multiple
lifts, all of the ones going from 0 up would not stop. The same happened on the
way back. People were trying to get out on various floors but the lift would
just go straight down to 0. Let’s hope that it’s just the beginning and the
space will live up to its potential. For now, I’ll stick to the old good power
station.

I've always regarded the Tate Modern as a big middle finger sticking out, both in terms of architecture and content. Yesterday I went to check the new extension and was very pleased to see how it blends in nicely with the original power station where the museum has been housed since 2000. The artwork on display was very varied and interesting, with art from South America, Africa and Asia which is very refreshing indeed.
A lot of the art required the viewer's interaction but some of it was there only to be displayed, such as Marina Abramovic's Rhythm 0 table, which was originally part of a performance. This certainly alters the original impact and meaning of the artwork, a challenge that the institution has not been able to overcome yet. This also confirms Tate Modern's role a museum in the traditional sense, with the aim of educating and informing the viewer. My friend said that some of the art on display was unworthy of such an important museum but I enjoyed it all thoroughly!

Art is subjective but I really find the Tate a bit disappointing. I may not understand Modern art, but I think the museum is not showing the best part of it. It may look a bit small compared to the size of the building as well, but with the works nearly over, I will have to give it a try again.

The good point in the Tate, because yes there is one, is its terrace! It offers an amazing view on St Paul Cathedral and on the Thames!

The Tate Modern - I go purely for the entertainment value. Nowhere else will you find hour long videos of someone repeatedly pouring ketchup over themselves, portraits of strangers with fried eggs over their breasts or pickled animals in glass boxes.

Tate Modern is the perfect place to spend a free afternoon. There are always great temporary exhibitions that continue on to tour the world as well as a fantastic permanent collection that is free to view.

The building alone is very impressive, too. The giant turbine hall is the impressive center piece of the museum and always astounds me.

There is a decent cafe, too, and the members room has a great view out over the Thames, Millenium Bridge and St.Pauls.

Brilliant gallery, if anything it may be slightly too big and tiring to get round the whole place in one visit. There is so much to see and do especially when they put on the temporary exhibitions, they are very well thought out. I much prefer Tate Modern over Tate Britian

I do like visiting, the exhibitions are always sublime and well curated but I would like the main bulk of the exhibits to change every once in a while. I do feel like they have been the same the whole time I lived in london (8 years)

After not having been for a while (which is a disgrace considering I only live a 10min walk from the museum) I ventured back across the Millennium Bridge to see if any of the permanent exhibitions had been updated and was I in for a treat! It started with the very interesting art project in the turbine hall by Abraham Cruzvillages. The artist pretty much created a suburban allotment on stilts. The biggest surprise however was to be found on the first floor which had been re-curated entirely. On one half it still had the Citizens and States with the likes of Picasso, but with a lot of new works from for example Mondriaan which I had never seen at Tate Modern before. The most interesting exhibition however was the "Making Traces" show in which Mark Rothko's works found a new home. I have missed those pieces since the took them away from the public eye a while ago. Please do me a favour and go visit Tate Modern to discover the new first floor! You'll Love it!

A grand industrial building turned modern art exhibition palace, the Tate Modern has prime positioning on the Thames Southbank directly opposite St Paul's cathedral. It's free, it's wonderful, it's absolutely massive (and, with a staggeringly large sail boat-looking extension being added as I write, about to be even more so) and it has a couple of cheeky Warhols and Hockneys. Unfortunately, the paid entry seasonal exhibitions are a bit out of the recently graduated student's price range. The curators will also never beat the time when they had gigantic usable metal slides installed which ran from the rafters to the ground floor. Now that was art!

The number of ridiculously good looking fashionistas per square foot of London positively sky rockets upon entering the Tate Modern. Every beard is groomed, every eyebrow plucked, every pair of jeans tight, every set of cheekbones chiseled, every tattoo a work of art. As a friend noted at the time, we were "the ugliest people in the entire gallery". It's as though their genes were better. And you can't compete with DNA. You just can't. Why mention these people in a review, though? Well, because the real art is in the reaction of the viewer to the art. Just as it is more fascinating to watch an artist at work than to view the finished product, it is more enjoyable to examine how human strangers interact with the space and art around them. We are all art. One gallery piece, a rectangular mirror, makes this exact point. But I had formed this theory before we came to the mirror part, I swear it. Below is the only picture I took at the Tate this last Friday - I just found the separations satisfying. Ah, culture.

If you love contemporary art, then there's no better to place spend your day than the Tate Gallery.

Since being converted from a power station, the Tate Modern houses some of the finest collection in contemporary and modern over seven floors and organizes special exhibition for gallery members and for those with ticket.

The cafe on the second floor is well worth a visit for it's stunning view across the Thames, the Millennium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral and the the gallery shop is well worth a visit too, for a vast array or gift ideas from the wacky to the inspirational.

It's easy to reach from London Bridge and like most London galleries, is free. Well worth a visit.

Visiting the other day, I was struck by how easy it was to move through the rooms and leave totally unchanged, uninspired or in any way enlightened about the stuff that makes life interesting. It's a shame because the space is fantastic, and there are some genuine highlights (in the permanent collection, the Cy Twombly and Giuseppe Penone sculptures, Meredith Frampton's stunning portrait of Marguerite Kelsey). NB I did't see the temporary exhibitions this time, so not counting them in this.

The new wing they're building wont' solve this problem - the Tate needs either better art, or a better "story", to use the language of our time, not necessarily more art.

Everyone else rightly picks up on the great venue itself - cafes, locations, stuff for kids: I completely agree with that. If you're looking for something to do with friends or kids for a few hours, then its great. Just not for a fresh and challenging experience of art.

The cafe bar at the top is a great location for a relatively cheap date in London. Go have a glass of bubbles and sit by the floor to ceiling windows ... the view is stunning, and then you can go explore the artwork!

I love this gallery. There is always so much to see. The modern sculpture display are most magnificent. When you get tired, go to the cafe on the top floor and enjoy a cup of coffee and the view of the River Thames. Brilliant View.

One of my favourite places in London- getting there is a treat, either across the Millennium bridge with its stunning views down the river and back to St Pauls, or along the Thames past The Globe or the great eateries. Once there at the Tate Modern, there is always at least one top class exhibition to see- currently Matisse or Richard Hamilton (I preferred the latter). The room are well curated with a mixture of styles and the guided talks are well worth the investment, Book shop is great and the café gives you the opportunity to sit in the fresh air and look across at the Thames & St Pauls

We loved visiting the Tate Modern, my daughter always loved art, so it was by chance we visited on a wet day, but what a memorable experience. So much to look at and admire, paintings, photography, this museum is one the best things to see in London, lovely shop, and lots for children to participate in.

Tate's great, two simple words that sum up this place, My sister updates my membership each Christmas and it truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
I always enter via the millennium bridge so I can see the new London (Shard) verses the old (St Pauls). The latest suprise was the new room dedicated to the American great photographer William Eggleston and as my friend Susie says Billys work reminds her of one of her all time favourite quotes from Camille Pissaro “Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where others see nothing”. Truly recommended. I'm devoted to the mans work and I'll say it again the Tate is great.

This is an excellent gallery which really needs a second visit to take in everything. I would love to do a gig here as the building also has excellent acoustic properties. http://www.steelbandhire.com/

The Tate is such a fun building and place, with its changing exhibitions there is always something new to see. It has such a wide range of interactive, weird and modern exhibitions and makes a great day out for a family or adults looking to see something new, interesting. It sparks a great talking point and I would highly recommend. It is also worth checking out what exhibitions they have so that you can time your visit with a particular interest.

Really worth having a visit, and a revisit every now and then. Perfect for a reunion with a friend, talking about now and then in front of a Warhol painting, or just enjoying the greatest views of Sant Paul and The City from the bar on the top floor! If you have no clue about any vanguardism, there are fantastic mural paintings with a very visual quick explanation of the last 100 years. Do not miss it!

its a great building, and has some of the most inspiring artists in the world. its the only place like it in the uk, not only does it offer already famous artist like dali and pollock but it also allows new artists to debut thier work among the greats giving the tate a very broad array of interest. If you like art its great.

Free, Free Free... yeah and free your mind. Don't take the Tate Modern too serious - JUST ENJOY! I know little about art, I don't have time to really care, but I do like life experiences. Catch a boat 'up' the Thames... head into the gallery and you have yourself an amazing and interesting day out... for pennies. Impressed?